We follow up with a high-profile, real-world, outspoken switcher to learn his conclusions after a few months on the Mac, get the latest on moviemaking on campus and learn what one of the most influential names in Mac news thinks about last week’s announcements.

Winn Schwartau, PC security expert, author and columnist, after several months of using Macs as his productivity platform of choice, tells us why he’s no longer “Mad as Hell.” Winn’s insights into the Mac platform from his unique perspective are required listening for any Mac advocate and anyone who is evaluating their computing choices.

David Roemer of Campus MovieFest is back with information on the largest student moviemaking event yet, how they’ve attracted new corporate sponsors, and their plans to visit twenty more universities in the next few months

This week’s Mac News Braintrust panelist is Jim Dalrymple of MacCentral. Jim delivers thoughts on Apple’s announcements from last week, including some personal observations based on first-hand experience.
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UGR #531: Winn Schwartau Isn't "Mad as Hell" Any More, Campus MovieFest Update with David Roemer and Mac News Braintrust with Jim Dalrymple [ 55:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Talking Dashboard and widgets with an expert, creating postage stamps with your photos, a new Apple Regional Liaison, Mac Braintrust thinking, a new user group discount, MUG Center activities at Macworld Expo and more are all in this edition of the show that delivers more signal and less noise for real Mac users. This week’s edition is sponsored by Brigadoon Software.

Dori Smith, the author of the upcoming Dashboard Widgets for Mac OS X Tiger : Visual QuickStart Guide from Peachpit talks about the world of widgets and where the Dashboard is going as a new platform for these mini-applications.

Pat Castaldo of Endicia Software discusses his company’s new product and service, PictureItPostage, that lets you create real custom U.S. Postage stamps from your photos and images, as well as their postage product, Endicia for Mac.

Alex Podressoff of The Arizona Macintosh Users Group and the new Apple Regional Liaison for the Southwest United states profiles his group and talks about the challenges and opportunities of being an RL.

Dennis Sellers of Macsimum News is our Mac News Braintrust correspondent for this edition, and will tell you about some stories he things are important that you might have missed, and why.

User Group Report #523: Talking Dashboard and Widgets with Dori Smith, Custom Postage Stamps with Endicia Software, the New Southwest United States Apple Regional Liaison, Mac News Braintrust Commentary by Dennis Sellers and More [ 1:23:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The editors of three of the most respected news sites on the Mac Web join the User Group Report for the first “Mac News Braintrust” roundtable discussion, and software that let’s your Mac tell you where it is if it gets stolen are included in this special edition.

The members of the Mac News Braintrust, Jim Dalrymple of MacCentral, Dennis Sellers of Macsimum News, and Bryan Chaffin of The Mac Observer discuss the hottest news story in years, Apple’s Intel announcement, podcasting and more in our feature-length interview.This event kicks off a new User Group Report segment that will bring you more than just news from the most recognized names in Apple reporting.

Martin Moran of Brigadoon Software discusses MacPhoneHome, the software that can help your Mac if it is stolen. Brigadoon boasts and impressive recovery rate, and Martin talks about their interaction with law enforcement agencies around the world to achieve that rate, as well as how the software works and why it isn’t just for mobile Macs.
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User Group Report #521: The Mac News Braintrust Roundtable Discussion, Brigadoon Software Lets Your Mac Phone Home If Stolen, Upcoming MUG Events and More [ 1:01:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Liberating your Widgets from Dashboard, making your Mac invulnerable to malicious and inadvertent activities, the real story on programming for the upcoming Mactels and common sense views on the Apple-Intel merger are all covered in this week’s show.

Danny Espinoza of Mesa Dynamics talks about his new product, Amnesty, that lets Mac OS X Widgets run free of both the Dashboard, and of Tiger itself. Want your widgets on-screen at all times? Haven’t made the move to Tiger but want to get in on the widget craze. Find out how with Amnesty.

Keith Rickman and Mark Eaton of Centurion Technologies introduce us to a product that you’ve been exposed to if you’ve visited any Apple Store and fawned over a new Macintosh. You didn’t even know it, but MacShield was running on that Mac, protecting it from anything you might intentionally or unintentionally do to it. Find out how your Mac can enjoy the same protection that Apple selects for their display machines.

Mark Dalrymple of Cocoa Heads and author of Core Mac OS X and Unix Programming delivers perspective on Apple’s announcement to move the Mac to the Intel chip architecture. You’ve heard all the hype, now get the straight story from someone with real programming credentials.

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User Group Report #520: Letting Widgets Run Wild with Amnesty, Protecting Your Mac with MacShield, A Programmer's-Eye View of the Apple/Intel Announcement and More [ 1:10:49 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Our focus on the Apple Regional Liaison Team continues with three more members, and we start our coverage of the events surrounding Macworld CreativePro Conference & Expo, including the User Group Leadership Conference.

Terry White of MacGroup-Detroit and Adobe outlines the successes and innovative projects that are taking his group into the future, his activites at the recent MacDesign Conference, and his presentation about MUG web sites at the upcoming User Group Leadership Conference.

Roy Atkinson of the Down East Macintosh Users Group and Regional Liaison Team member for the
Northeast United States talks about his group, why they have Austrailian members on their listserv, and the reactions he’s had from groups in his area to his “first contact” efforts.

Thomas Piper of the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group discusses his role as the Central United States Regional Liaison, how he got started in user groups, and what he would like to accomplish in the coming months.

Lynn Poos of the Silicon Mountain Macintosh Users Group is the only domestic third-term member of the Regional Liaison. He shares his insight into the development and evolution of the team, and helps user groups in his territory and beyond understand what the RLT offers them.

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An introduction to the User Group Report. Features a discussion of Diane Cohn’s departure from Apple and Garr Reynold’s arrival, and what’s ahead for this project.

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